medals in Sochi, including a record eight gold. It also saw the leadership
of USSA change for the first time in 18 years, with Bill Marolt handing
over the reins to Tiger Shaw. Since taking over March 5, Shaw moved
quickly to capitalize on the strength of the organization while seeking
new ways to embrace greater participation through new partnerships.

The Olympic season was quite a year of transition for USSA leadership!

I’ve been involved in snow sports my entire life as an athlete, Olympian,
coach, club leader and parent. I was proud to be selected last year and
blessed by the opportunity to work with Bill Marolt on the transition. The
aspect I’ve most enjoyed since starting in leadership at USSA has been
getting into the field, meeting with and listening to our athletes, parents,
clubs and other stakeholders and forging new partnerships to broaden
the reach and services of the USSA.

Aformer USSA and collegiate ski racer, New Hampshire native Dexter Paine has led the USSA as its chairman
since 2006. This spring he was elected to the FIS Council
where he serves as a vice president. He will also serve on
the executive committee of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski
Championships. A lifelong passionate devotee of ski and
snowboarding competition, Paine is a successful global
businessman as chairman and CEO of Paine & Partners, a
New York based private equity firm, which invests primarily
in the food and agribusiness sectors. He was one of Team
USA’s biggest fans in Sochi, trackside for the entire duration
of the Games.

This past season was a pivotal period for our organizationwith the Sochi Olympics and a transition to new leadershipafter an amazing 18 years with Bill Marolt at the helm. Wecan be proud of the work done over the last four yearsto make the transition from Bill’s visionary leadership toOlympian Tiger Shaw as seamless as possible. Our sportsowe a debt of gratitude to Bill for his leadership that hastaken us to places we never thoughtpossible.

Our athletic success in Sochi was due
to hard work by the athletes. But it
goes much deeper. Those 17 medals,
including eight gold, came on the
heels of years and years of dedication
by clubs, coaches, volunteers and of
course, parents – all united to provide
opportunities for youth to achieve their
dreams. It is rewarding to be part of this
organization!

Now we need to look to the future.

We have a strong leader in Tiger, whoknows our sport as an athlete, Olympian, coach, club leader,trustee and parent. We are presently undertaking our secondstrategic planning process since I have been chairmanto ensure that we have the best path possible for futuregenerations.

If we are to continue to be Best in the World and build on
our past success, it will take everyone in our organization
working in unison. We need to extend our reach to embrace
the entire breadth of our sport and our partners to increase
interest and grow snow sports in America.

With the success of Sochi behind us, we look forwardto World Championships across our sports this season,including our welcoming of the world to Vail/Beaver Creek.DEXTER PAINEChairman - U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association